Protecting a bridge from a ship collision is not worth it, says an expert after the disaster in the USA

The destruction of the bridge in the American Baltimore was also interesting because of how quickly a majestic structure can turn into a mess of debris. A similar accident due to a ship collision has not yet occurred in the Czech Republic, but the condition of domestic bridges and their maintenance are a topic that experts draw attention to. What is the condition of roughly 44,000 bridges in the country?

What you will also hear in today’s episode at 5:59

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the northeast of the USA caught the world’s attention. Rescuers launched a search for six missing workers who were working on the Patapsco River Link after a cargo ship leaving a local port hit its pier on Tuesday. On Wednesday, authorities announced that they were believed to be dead.

The accident, the course of which despite the time of night was caught by several cameras at least from afar, but also brought other questions. For example, how the failure of an important transport link will affect the local economy. Another question mark hangs over whether the construction and security of the bridge were adequate.

“Pillars of large bridges are usually not protected against the impact of vessels,” says Tomáš Rotter, an expert on steel bridges from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. According to him, from a technical point of view, such protection is almost impossible, especially if the pillars are located below the surface at a depth of several tens of meters. “And it’s also uneconomical. I’m convinced that the probability of a vessel hitting the support of a large bridge is very small,” Rotter points out in an interview with the 5:59 podcast.

At the same time, according to the expert, there is no indication that the Francis Scott Key Bridge – opened in 1977 – was neglected during its construction. He thinks that in terms of statics “it was designed very well”.

Several bridges have collapsed in the past in the Czech Republic, but never due to a vessel impact. According to Tomáš Rotter, the majority of bridge collapses in the country were either related to ongoing reconstruction or long-term improper maintenance – as was the case with the Trojská lávka bridge and its collapse in 2017.

In total, there are 44,000 bridges in the country – road (approx. 17,600), railway (approx. 6,700) and others (approx. 20,000). And it is precisely their condition that experts are discussing.

At the same time, the overall picture that Rotter outlines is not entirely rosy. Of the railway bridges, three percent are classified in the worst category, which is used to assess their condition. A tenth of the bridges on motorways and Class I roads are in “bad”, “very bad” or “distressed condition”. The situation with II roads is even significantly worse. class, where 17 percent of bridges belong to one of these three worst grades. And finally road III. classes – there it is even 25 percent.

“The main cause is long-term neglected maintenance and repairs,” Rotter explains, behind the alarming statistics. At the same time, according to him, politicians and especially transport ministers have known about the situation for a long time. But finances are also a problem. “To improve the condition of the bridges – especially on the II. and III. classes of roads -, in the entire Czech Republic, this is on the order of tens of billions of crowns,” adds the academic from CTU.

The condition of bridges is the responsibility of their owner or administrator, whether it is the Railway Administration, the Directorate of Roads and Highways, the region, or cities and municipalities. However, according to Tomáš Rotter, the lack of funds on their side leads to inconsistent progress on those bridges where a regular inspection reveals the need for repairs. However, the condition of the bridge continues to deteriorate after that, and the demands for its repair in the future also increase.

In the 5:59 podcast, you will also find out which side Tomáš Rotter takes in the dispute over the further fate of the important railway bridge in Prague under Vyšehrad and how serious the risk is that it might even collapse. Listen in the player at the beginning of the article.

Podcast 5:59